Okay, I'll bite. The softest openings I've ever had were from the PD Spectre and Aerodyne's Pilot, both of which I have owned. The opening is like falling over backwards into bed, though both involve a good snivel. The Pilot's snivel is not so bad, the Spectre's is infamous (as in take along a good crossword puzzle....). My Pilot seems to open in 500 - 600 ft, the Spectre might take up to 800.

While we're on the topic, think about your reserve at terminal. PD makes two excellent reserves, the "old" PD Reserve, and the new Optimum. I've dumped both at terminal (a PD Reserve after a pilot chute in tow malfunction) and the Optimum as a main canopy for a demo jump. Both give you very quick, but quite comfortable openings, which is what you need from a reserve (the Optimum is incredible by the way and worth every penny of the higher price - you may change main canopies often, but a reserve is usually a long term keeper).

Doesn't anyone try unstowing the brakes when it takes so long? A very long time ago I had a canopy that seemed to not open until I did that, or at least I should say I never let it just go on sniveling for over 1000 feet. That was back when canopies never sniveled for long.

A note on soft opening canopies--ANY canopy can open very hard. I feel confident in saying that there isn't a modern canopy that hasn't hammered someone. I have a few hundred spectre jumps, and one was a crusher. I hung in the saddle a while after opening. After landing I just sat there a while.

I recommend a Pilot as a solid performer, with very consistent, soft openings.

Have you jumped a Sabre II before? I've been hearing really good things about the Spectre but was wondering how it compares to the Sabre II. I rented a Sabre II 170 @ the DZ one weekend when I was getting my canopy relined, and it opened REALLY soft, had some slider hang up ... wouldn't mind having some slider hang up every now and then!

I jump a pilot and they open really soft. My snivel is a long one 700-1000 ft(sometimes shorter though) but the openings are fantastic. Keep in mind i've only jumped a navigator, pilot, and sabre 2. so far the best openings are on my pilot. someone recommended hma instead of spectra but i jump my pilot with spectra and my openings are nice and soft. I'm still new so i don't know what difference it would make but this is just my 2 cents

The first canopy I ever had that was mine: 7 cell Triathlon 210, the second canopy: 7 cell Triathlon 190; My third canopy: PISA Hornet 170, 7 cell semi elipitacal. All of them opened great & flew well.

Have you jumped a Sabre II before? I've been hearing really good things about the Spectre but was wondering how it compares to the Sabre II. I rented a Sabre II 170 @ the DZ one weekend when I was getting my canopy relined, and it opened REALLY soft, had some slider hang up ... wouldn't mind having some slider hang up every now and then!

Sabre2s can open soft, but they can also open hard, and anywhere in between. I understand it to be pretty sensitive to packing.

I'm told it's especially sensitive to how the slider is quartered, particularly the sides being pulled out properly. I pull the sides of the slider well out and make sure it stays put during the rest of the pack job. That gives me openings that are pretty consistenly soft. But I don't have a whole lot of jumps on it.

I've had it slam me once or twice, once really hard from a paid packer.

What about Atair Radical? The Radical also incorporates the Atair 2 Stage Opening Technology, originally used on the Atair Cobalt Canopy, which provides soft predictable on heading openings. This means all center cells are ported but there is no porting between 3 center cells and outher cells. In my expirience (200 jumps on Radical 135) - faster you go it opens slower.